What's the Best Fuel Choice for My
Home?
COMPARING
HEATING FUELS
Selecting the
fuel and heating system best suited for your needs depends
on many factors. |
These include:
- the
cost and availability of the fuel
- the type of appliance
used
to convert that fuel to heat
- how the heat is
distributed in your house
- the cost to purchase, install,
and maintain
the heating appliance
- the heating
appliance's efficiency
- and the environmental impacts
associated with the heating fuel.
|
|
One
simple way to evaluate heating options is to compare the
cost of the fuels.
To do that, you have to know the heat
content of the fuel, it's price and the efficiency by
which it is converted to useful heat. |
Heat
content of available fuels
The most commonly used value for expressing the heat content of a fuel is the British thermal unit (Btu). Below is a table showing the approximate average heat content in Btu's of fuels available in Lincoln Electric Cooperative's service area. Natural gas is not available in our service territory.
|
| Electricity |
3,412/kWh |
|
Propane |
91,600/gallon |
|
Wood Pellets |
17,000,000/ton |
|
Wood (fir, larch) |
14,000,000/cord |
What are the efficiencies
of the heating systems you are comparing?
| Are electric heat pumps really that
energy efficient?
The efficiency of the heating appliance is an important factor when determining the cost of a given amount of heat. Heating efficiencies for electricity range from 100 percent for resistive heat such as baseboards, electric furnaces and fan-forced wall heaters - up to 200 percent efficient for air-source heat pumps, and up to 350 percent efficient for ground-source heat pumps. |
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|
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How does propane
compare with electricity prices?
Efficiencies for propane appliances vary widely from 50 percent to the mid-90s, depending on the age and type of heating system. If you have an older propane furnace (15 years or older), your efficiency is likely to be 60 percent, at best. |
| Do I want to hassle with wood heat?
Wood stoves and pellet stoves also have varying efficiencies - from as low as 25 percent for fireplaces
- to an average of 70 percent for newer air-tight wood
stoves - to as high as 80 percent for the best pellet stoves.
|
|
So what is the cost of the fuel?
|
Efficiency Adjusted Cost
$/MMBtu |
|
Fuel |
Equipment
Efficiency |
$/MMBtu |
Electricity
5.38¢ per kWh |
Resistance
100%
*ASHP 200%
**GSHP 350% |
$15.76
$7.88
$4.50 |
Propane
$2.50 per gallon |
65%
80%
92% |
$41.81
$33.97
$29.54 |
Wood
$150 per cord |
Fireplace
25%
Ave. Stove 50%
Air Tight 70% |
$42.86
$21.43
$15.31 |
Wood
Pellets
$200 per ton |
40%
60%
80% |
$29.41
$19.61
$14.71 |
|
LEC electricity prices have been relatively stable, our energy charge (currently 5.38¢/kWh) has increased only
26% in the last twenty years. Propane prices tend to be much more volatile, changing day to day, season to season
and year to year. In the last few years high global oil prices have pushed propane prices to record highs, currently
about $2.30-$2.50/gallon. Wood ($150/cord) and wood pellet ($200/ton) prices differ greatly, depending
on type and delivery costs. They do not include incidental
costs such as insurance, chimney cleaning or chiropractic bills.
Now that we know heat content, efficiencies and prices of the various fuel choices, we can compare the costs of producing one million Btu (MMBtu) of heat using different heating appliances and fuels by using a simple formula.
|
The table above shows actual costs per MMBtu at the listed fuel price and efficiency.
* ASHP- air source
heat pump
** GSHP-ground source heat pump
As you can see, efficiency adjusted prices vary widely, depending on fuel cost and appliance efficiency.
But what does that mean in terms of heating
an entire house?
Below is a 1200 sq. ft. home with a full conditioned basement built to minimum state code standards. Based on residential energy analysis rating software, annual heating costs are estimated for the various fuels and heating systems
are listed in the table on the right. |
Estimated
Cost Comparison
Electricity
Furnace or Zonal Heaters
Air Source Heat Pump
Ground Source Heat Pump |
$624
$386
$229 |
Propane
Furnace or Boiler 80% eff.
Furnace or Boiler 92% eff. |
$1345
$1184
|
Pellets
Furnace or Stove 80% eff. |
$598 |
|
Electric Heat . . . the smart choice!
As you can see,
no other fuel for your home offers more than clean, safe
reliable and efficient electric heat.. And at today's electric rates, there isn't a more cost-effective alternative.
From 100% efficient electric resistance heat, to heat pumps that can produce $3.50 of heat for
every $1 you put into the system, the best propane and wood heating appliances can't come close to matching the performance and operating costs of electric heat options. |
|
Call us today
to find out what electric heating system
is right for your new home or remodel project.
(406) 889-3301 (800) 442-2994
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